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Research Ethics

The TCPS is the joint research ethics policy statement of CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC (the Agencies), published in August 1998 to promote the ethical conduct of research involving humans. It outlines standards and procedures for research involving humans and applies to those conducting, participating in, or reviewing human research in institutions funded by the Agencies. A variety of other institutions across Canada have also adopted the TCPS.

In 2001, the Agencies created the Interagency Advisory Panel on Research Ethics (the Panel) to advise them on the evolution, interpretation and use of the TCPS. In keeping with its evolution mandate, the Panel proposed extensive revisions towards a second edition of the TCPS and released two drafts for public consultation in December 2008 and December 2009. The Panel submitted their final recommendations to the Agencies in August 2010, and the 2nd edition of the TCPS (TCPS 2) was launched by Presidents of the Agencies on December 7, 2010.